The Gathering 2026

Pictured above (L-R): Stephen Caulfield, Policy Lead; Kate Grieve, Director of People & Culture; Kim Murphy, Services Co-ordinator; and Kirsten Lamb, Speech & Language Therapist at The Gathering 2026.

Three weeks on from SCVO’s annual conference, The Gathering, Stephen, our Policy Lead, reflects on the conference, the importance of spaces to build cross-sector collaboration in Scotland, and the Trust’s influencing and external engagement work.

Packed conference halls and a workshop-filled diary, not the longer days and shorter nights, are the surest signs that spring has sprung for the third sector.  

I attended my first Gathering with the Trust in 2025, eager to build on the foundations we set in 2024 as we established a stronger presence in the policy and influencing space. The incremental – the somewhat too incremental…? – nature of change and progress in our society, particularly in our politics and governance, is familiar to us all. Positive change for neurodivergent people and families has never come easy – and with today’s political uncertainty and limited resources, solidarity and connection matter more than ever. Cross-sector collaboration is the vital element in persuasion and successful influencing for charities working in Scotland today.  

After the successful 2025 Conference, I was determined the Trust would return. This year, we brought a large. diverse team, from marketing to service support, to aid delivery of Laying a Foundation of Wellbeing with Neuro-Inclusive Service Provision and our stand presence in the exhibition hall. 

Laying a Foundation of Wellbeing with Neuro-Inclusive Service Provision

Eager to share more about what we are and to raise awareness of our offer amongst key stakeholders, we went to The Gathering mindful that those who engaged with colleagues across the two-day conference should leave knowing who we are, too. 

Central to that was our wellbeing-focused workshop on Tuesday morning. Louise Storie, Head of Connect, and Prof. Richard Mills from AT-Autism, spoke to how the practice frameworks we use promote dignity, autonomy and agency through co-produced, individualised support. This enables good wellbeing for the neurodivergent people we support. 

The Donaldson Trust envisages a society in which neurodivergent people and families are understood, accepted, treated fairly and valued. A core element of this is enabling neurodivergent people to be themselves and embrace their neurodivergent identities. The practice frameworks that we employ and spoke to at this event – SYNERGY and SPELL – are the practical application of this vision, since they allow us to take a humanistic approach to service provision. Humanistic approaches centre environmental change and reflective practice (not modifying behaviours, which we oppose) as the basis for effective support. 

Since the event, we have had great engagement from delegates, with many of those who attended choosing to follow up to learn more about the Trust and to start exploring those partnership opportunities, for which conferences like The Gathering are ideal facilitators.  

Exhibition Hall

As always, our sensory resources went down well – and provide a fun, practical introduction for delegates on the importance of recognising sensory differences and individualising adjustments. They also reinforce two of our core principles: what is good for neurodivergent people is good for all, and that the best sensory adjustments will often be the simplest ones. 

Thanks to all who joined us for a conversation at our stand. I know I can speak on behalf of my colleagues when I say we were delighted by the quality and breadth of the engagement we got from delegates. Again, we are following up with those who requested it. 

Next steps

We look forward to returning to The Gathering in 2027! Opportunities to engage fifteen-hundred delegates a day are opportunities not to be missed – nor are they commonplace for our sector. Events like these can bring renewed energy and direction to our day-to-day work.

Speaking of elections, we will soon publish our manifesto ahead of May’s parliamentary election. Reflective of the priorities of those we support, our focus as a neurodivergence charity, and the political context in which we operate, education, assessment and support, employment and human rights will form the focus on this work. 

In the meanwhile, you can find our latest responses, statements and briefings here, from which the manifesto asks are, for the most part, drawn. 

Our next event appearance will be at the ALLIANCE (Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland) annual conference in Glasgow in March, where we are again exhibiting. 

If you have any questions about our work or want to discuss future collaboration, please get in touch with us at info@donaldsons.org.uk 

Stephen Caulfield 
Policy Lead